Acne Awareness Month –Our approach to help get those breakouts under control

Let’s face it at some point in our lives we’ve all had a dreaded spot that literally deserves a name of its own. They like to appear at the most inconvenient time, normally when we have a super important occasion. For some people they come and go around the time of the month and for others, they are present all of the time.

It can be a skin condition that affects confidence and we’ve seen first hand how getting this tricky skin condition under control can change lives.

Let’s set the record straight on what causes those breakouts & how to get them under control

Over production of sebum. The sebaceous gland that is responsible for how much and the type of oil you produce is too overactive producing too much and a thick sticky sebum. It can be influenced by hormonal changes and stress. Hence why the time of the month and stress those pesky spots tend to get worse.

Solution – Cleanse the skin without stripping and use topical and oral Vitamin A to normalise the oil production.

Solution – Exfoliate but don’t be tempted to reach for a granular scrub as this will only aggravate, instead go for a Beta Hydroxy Acid which will dissolve the build up in the pore rather than just the surface.

P Acne bacteriaP Acne bacteria causes an infection in the pore which results in a pustule. We do need bacteria in the skin but when the bacteria is in the wrong place in the skin it is seen as a bad guy and causes inflammation and infection.

Solution– Sterilise the skin to kill the bacteria and reduce the inflammation. Using ingredients like Salycilic acid and Lactic acid both at home and as an inclinic treatment will help. Also blue light has been proven to help reduce P Acne’s

DietYour diet can influence the skin and how it behaves. The bad guys – alcohol, sugar, dairy and wheat as these can contribute to inflammation and bacteria in the skin, try and limit or even cut out how much of these you have in your diet. The good guys and the things you want to make sure you get a lot of in your diet is good fats from oily fish, nuts and seeds and plenty of water. Also having a Low Glycemic load can help.

Stress An inflammatory response on the skin affecting the sebaceous gland often when stressed causes a breakout. Then you get stressed because you’ve got a breakout = vicious cycle. Make sure you up your vitamins when you are stressed and try and find ways to de-stress, maybe a massage or a relaxing bath(not too hot as this isn’t great for the skin).

Over time you’ve probably spent a small fortune trying to get those pesky breakouts under control.